Background

World Animal Net (WAN) develops programs and ‘best practice’ resources for the animal protection community. We work in a strategic and prioritized manner, with energy and dedication; which is why we are able to accomplish so much with a limited staff and administrative budget. Also, we make extensive use of volunteers – including leading international animal protection experts – and our Board supports us, donating funds and work.

Some of our achievements are listed below.These achievements lead to a ‘multiplier effect’ as the results are applied/adapted by a large number of organizations worldwide.

Information and Resources for the Animal Protection Movement

Resources

WAN has developed resources and programs including:

The WAN DirectoryThe world’s largest directory of animal protection organizations, the directory provides contact and program focus information for over 17,000 organizations worldwide. The WAN Directory helps animal protection advocates to locate other organizations across the world - to collaborate, build consortiums, and make referrals; as well as helping policymakers and individuals to locate animal protection organizations to consult and ask for assistance.

Strategic AdvocacyA comprehensive training course on Strategic Advocacy for Animal Welfare, using best practice across civil society sectors, specifically adapted for the animal protection movement. Course materials are also freely available on WAN’s website. This course helps animal protection organizations to understand the need and context for advocacy in achieving social change for animals and how to put effective advocacy into practice.

CollaborationsDetailed information on different models of joint working - including networks, coalitions, alliances and federations; advice on forming and managing such collaborations, the advantages and disadvantages of joining, details of existing animal protection collaborations, and other useful resources. An invaluable tool to help the animal protection movement to connect, collaborate and campaign together.

Humane EducationInformation and advice on ‘best practice’ in humane education, including: case for need, methodology, approaches, case studies, and links to resources.All the background information needed to implement a humane education program, which is the most effective long-term preventative strategy to bring about a lasting, large-scale improvement in the quality of animals' lives.

International PolicyAn overview of the international animal protection policy environment.This is vital in helping the animal protection community to understand the wider policy environment, enabling advocates to use this information to improve national policies, laws and programs.

Model Animal Welfare ActA ‘Model Animal Welfare Act’ designed as a basic template and guidance document for those interested in enacting new legislation or improving existing animal protection legislation. This was drafted using an extensive comparative law exercise. Relying on ‘best practice’ in the field, it took over three years to complete.This will enable international organizations and countries easy access to ‘best practice’ in the drafting of animal protection legislation, raising standards of drafting and enabling cross-checking of existing laws.

Constitutions ProjectDeveloped background information on advocacy for the inclusion of animal protection in constitutions; including the first ever comprehensive listing of animal protection provisions in constitutions around the world.An invaluable tool for animal protection organizations advocating for official recognition for animal protection in constitutions – supporting research, advocacy and policy development.

Training & Mentoring

WAN has carried out face-to-face and online training, and organizational and personal mentoring, including:

WAN developed and co-organized Pioneer Training (2005), an intensive 4-week training course for prospective leaders of the animal protection movement. The course was spectacularly successful in turning ambitious activists into inspiring leaders in their country. Many of the students still play a prominent role in animal protection in their home countries.

The course was fully evaluated and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. All the materials from the course have been used on WAN’s website for the benefit of all animal protection organizations. Furthermore, the original Pioneer materials were also used as the basis for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA, now World Animal Protection)’s Member Society Manual and for courses of the Humane Society Academy/University. They have also been used by organizations such as the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO) and ACTAsia to inform their training courses for activists in India and China respectively.

WAN’s Strategic Advocacy course was piloted as an online course with members of the Pan African Animal Welfare Alliance (PAAWA) in 2013. The focus was the development of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)’s Regional Animal Welfare Strategy for Southern Africa. This course won an overwhelmingly positive response and led to the development of various advocacy initiatives, including a new animal protection law for Namibia.

Animal Protection Coalitions and Alliances

WAN is affiliated with:

The International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW)

Species Survival Network (SSN)

Fur Free Alliance (FFA)

National Council for Animal Protection (NCAP)

DierenCoalitie – the Netherlands

And has worked closely with and supported:

The Pan African Animal Welfare Alliance (PAAWA)

The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO)

European Alliance of Rescue centres and Sanctuaries (EARS)

World Animal Day (Nature Watch)

WAN’s work with animal protection collaborations (coalitions and alliances) has included:

Working with the Species Survival Network to produce a Wildlife Trade Law Enforcement Poster to be hung on the wall at customs offices and border facilities throughout African nations.

Organizing and operating the office for the Species Survival Network, facilitating 80 NGOs during the CITES Conference of the Parties in The Hague, The Netherlands (2007), Doha, Qatar (2010) and Bangkok, Thailand (2013).

Working through the Fur Free Alliance in getting the biggest NO Fur campaign in China off the ground, mobilizing celebrities in China and hundreds of activists.

Founding by WAN President of the European Alliance of Rescue centres and Sanctuaries (EARS)

Advisory Director to ActAsia for Animals

Supporting the Pan African Animal Welfare Alliance (PAAWA) with the development of its first strategic plan and action plan (WAN Co-Founder, Janice Cox, was the Keynote Speaker at PAAWA’s First International Conference on the theme “Mainstreaming Animal Welfare in Africa’s Development” (2013) and has provided continuing assistance).

Linking the organizing team United Front 4 Animals with PAAWA and Naturewatch (World Animal Day coordinators), starting the movement for World Animal Day events and advocacy on the theme “Animals Matter to Africa” across the continent (and beyond). WAN support included drafting the Memorandums, providing a grant, and managing the website. The organizers view this as building annually to a mass march and social change movement.

Chairing the Dutch Animal Coalition of 21 national groups working toward animal welfare legislation in the Dutch Parliament (2011).

Participating in the successful campaign to ban wild animals in circuses in the Netherlands.

Coordinating U.S. collaboration on the chimpanzee patent issue and participating in the coalition to save the chimpanzees in Liberia abandoned by the New York Blood Center.

Sending an expert on sanctuary management to the fledgling Wild Animal Rescue Network meeting in Taiwan (2013) to help this newly formed sanctuary alliance off the ground.

WAN has been accepted as a member of the International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW), which represents non-governmental animal welfare organizations from all over the world at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

In 2014, WAN established an International Policy Forum (IPF) to address significant and emerging international issues in animal protection. The WAN IPF convenes key representatives in the global field of animal protection to collaborate, network, and develop policy proposals and joint advocacy.

WAN has used its international policy linkages, including its status with the UN and connections with the OIE, to carry out advocacy and policy work, including:

Advocacy at the UN for the inclusion of animal welfare and wildlife concerns in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Advocating for animal protection issues with the EU and FAO, including a strategy teleconference with the EU (following advocacy on animal welfare and development, including publication of an article in the Parliament magazine), which led to new proposals for animal welfare projects funded by the EU.

Promoting the mainstreaming of animal welfare in development and the introduction of animal welfare impact assessments for all developmental issues. This has positively influenced the agenda of the OIE’s next global animal welfare conference.

Facilitating work with Ghana (champion country) and PAAWA to research and develop a regional animal welfare strategy for West Africa (ECOWAS), and continued advocacy on its adoption/implementation.

WAN’s Co-Founder, Janice Cox, also worked with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in Southern Africa to research and develop a regional animal welfare strategy for the 15 countries in the region; which was subsequently taken over by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

We have organized (including sponsorship) the following for Ghana:

Animal welfare training for Ghana’s Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, who is the driver for animal welfare change in Ghana and will also be introducing animal welfare training into the country’s two new veterinary colleges.

A slaughter welfare program, which was taken forward by the RSCPA International, supported by World Animal Protection.

WAN’s Janice Cox also drafted an animal welfare policy for the African National Congress (ANC) government of South Africa, which we were informally advised had been accepted as a working document, for the basis of further consideration and consultation.

Grants and Resources for the Animal Protection Movement

WAN has also supported the ‘best practice’ or ground-breaking programs of many animal protection organizations, including:

The production of a seminal report: Changing China, a country status report within the political and social context by the organization ACT Asia.

Research by Humane Research Trust USA into driving factors in animal protection attitudes and action of the American public.

A project of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO) to develop animal protection networks across India – improving animal welfare through mobilizing, networking and building organizational capacity.

Production by the Indonesian group Pro Fauna of a teaching book on the welfare of animals in this country with the world’s largest Muslim population.

A teachers’ guide for humane education, created by The Humane Education Trust in South Africa, which was distributed through the Ministry of Education.

The Ghana SPCA Humane Education Program.

Humane Education in schools in Liberia by making education materials available from an earlier project WAN supported in South Africa.

The development of alternatives to animal experiments for students in medicine, veterinary medicine and biological science by InterNICHE.

The Campaign Against Canned Hunting in South Africa, to continue their campaign against the intensive breeding and canned hunting of lions.

A project of the Darwin Primate Group in South Africa to build a new enclosure for primates rescued from trade.

Vets for Animal Welfare in Zimbabwe with their visits to rural locations.

The building of a surgery room at the Tanzania Animal Welfare Society.

WAN also facilitated US donors in making major donations to animal welfare projects in the Caribbean.

Awards and Other Accomplishments

Board Member Janice Cox received the 2014 HSI Lifetime Achievement Award – for “extraordinary commitment and achievement for animal protection."Akisha Townsend Eaton presented at Harvard Law School and Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics (Summer, 2014), contributed a chapter for The Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics (to be published, 2015), and was selected as the first keynote speaker for the Animal Law Committee at the Kentucky Bar Association’s Annual Convention.

Testimonials

“WAN is truly amazing in the number and quality of materials you produce. It’s so impressive! Your website has… everything. You must just work all the time and never sleep!” Sara Shields, Ph.D, Chair, International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW) and Animal Behavior and Welfare Specialist, Humane Society International

“ACTAsia for Animals has collaborated with World Animal Net on many occasions and has great respect for the directors who all have extensive knowledge and experience of the non-profit sector. WAN provides a bank of information on animal welfare and humane education to other NGOs and is always willing to help and advise on organisational strategy. WAN is managed with the highest level of integrity and is effective and efficient…” ActAsia for Animals

“As founder of the recently registered non-profit company, United Front 4 Animals, it felt like we found a home and life-long soul mate (at last), when I discovered World Animal Net. Their guidance, practical and user-friendly information on all aspects of animal welfare and advocacy, and their educational courses provide nothing short of a guaranteed road to success for any organization – new or established – in the challenging environment of animal welfare and lobbying at the highest levels. Their extensive experience, unwavering commitment to develop the animal welfare movement, individual organizations, coalitions and alliances PLUS their consultative status at the United Nations makes them unique and affiliation compulsory for any serious advocacy and/or activist organization.” Nikki Elliott (Founder/Director) United Front 4 Animals, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa

“World Animal Net is an unique NGO. It was, for us, an integral part of the creation of RAPAD Morocco. Its advice, free training courses and contacts helped us understand where were the real challenges of Animal Welfare. WAN is giving us a more professional, innovative and realistic vision, taking into account the specificities of our country and our African continent. WAN offers new approaches, connections and new tools to achieve our goals.” Amal El Bekri, RAPAD, Morocco

“I have known WAN for many years and it has been involved in many ways in all aspects of animal protection by training and providing assistance through advice, education resources and small grants to organisations throughout the world. It connects us all and encourages grassroots volunteers by showing us that we are not alone, but actually well-connected and supported!” Crete Animal Welfare Society (CAWS)